Picking the Right Social Media Sites

During the past several weeks we've talked to a half dozen companies wanting to be part of our maintenance programs for the unlimited website updates, social media monitoring, and handling their social media for a lot less than a part-time employee. One question that always comes up is which social media outlet(s) should you be on. For some it is just one while others it is more than one. We've created this article to help define which social media outlet is best to choose based on the social media outlets we typically use with our customer's.

Disclaimer: This is a broad overview and your results will "and should" vary. Your business is unique just like each platform. Know who your audience is and where they are as that will give you the best bang for your buck.

Some Statistics to start off on

24% of all adults use two sites

16% of adults are on three sites

8% of adults are on four sites

4% are on five or more sites

Facebook

Best for building a community

58% of adult's online use

70% of adults use daily

Among adult users

74% are college graduates

71% have some college

70% are high-school or less

LinkedIn

Best for career and industry insights

23% of adult's online use

13% of adults use daily

LinkedIn user breakdown

23% of people 18-29 are years' old

31% of people 30-49 are years' old

30% of people 50-64 are years' old

21% of people 65+ are years' old

Pinterest

Best for highly visual industries and marketing

22% of adult's online use

17% of adults use daily

42% of online women use Pinterest

13% of online men use Pinterest

Instagram

Best for companies with great photography and images

21% of adult's online use

49% of adults use daily

Photographer breakdown

55% are between 18-29 years' old

28% are between 30-49 years' old

11% of people are 50-64 years' old

4% of people are 65+ years' old

29% of all online females use Instagram

22% of all online males use Instagram

Twitter

Best for topical and timely conversations that are short and sweet (140 characters or less)

19% of adult's online use

36% of adults use daily

25% usage in live in urban areas

23% usage in live in suburban areas

17% usage in live in rural areas

YouTube

Best for Compelling videos

Over 1 billion online users

Almost 1/3 of all people on the internet use

Every day people watch hundreds of millions of hours on YouTube and generate billions of views

YouTube, and even just YouTube on mobile, reaches more 18-34 and 18-49 year-olds than any cable network in the United States

Meerkat

Best for Live-Stream video from your phone to Twitter followers

120,000 users

78% of members are male

22% of members are female

Periscope

Twitter's app for Live-streaming video from your phone

Over 1 million users

1.85 million daily active users

71% of members are male

29% of members are female

Reddit

Roughly 9,800 member-driven communities and forums

Approximately 36 million user accounts

88% of visitors go to the site multiple times per day

8% of users are 14-17 years' old

8.5% of users are 18-34 years' old

3.9% of users are 35-54 years' old

Snapchat

Best for captioned videos and photos sent directly to other users that automatically disappear

45% of Snapchat's adult users are between 18 and 24 years' old

Vimeo

Best for video sharing

160 million monthly viewers

35 million registered users

Ability to easily password protect your videos

It's estimated that the majority of its users are serious video creators

Vine

Best for short videos

A Vine video is a 6.5-second-long looping video

Great for showing off a new product, demo a feature, tell a quick story, or share something fun

288% of all Vine's adult users are between 18 and 24 years' old

Conclusion

When deciding what social media sites to align with your website online marketing there is no one-size-fits-all solution. When it comes to building your social media community choose where your audience is and where you see it going. Use the information above as a foundational element for deciding which social media site to choose.

John Marx

John has been an entrepreneur and pusher of all things “normal”. He was brought up where a handshake is as good as any word and even more important than any legal speak. John believes in giving back and giving people more than they expect. This is the foundation and basis of JM2 Webdesigners & Marketing. The prices will shock you, the amount you get will shock you even more, and the skills his entire team brings will completely amaze. He has built a team of experts that are talented, young, and efficient. Each one has the characteristics of the company in wanting to see a small business grow and each one goes above, and beyond which makes John beyond proud of them.

So why is John considered the “Code Ninja”. It’s isn’t because people fear ninja’s (they should). They will fight until their last breath defending, achieving the mission, and helping (in this case small businesses). John believes in very surgical strikes to help a business grow using agile methods that change rapidly, in ways people don’t expect, and with a relentless passion to achieve greatness.

Valparaiso Web Design Mission Statement

JM2 Webdesigners & Marketing provides each client a custom developed solution to meet their business needs. Dynamic and creative solutions for marketing, web design, software development, social media, photography, video, and visual branding. Achieving excellence in an honest and ethical manner.